Miraculous Short Stories

I Would Do Anything

Inspired by the Hades and Persephone AU by @art_the_f_up on Instagram. Chat Noir, God of Destruction and the Dead, "kidnaps" the Goddess of Creation, in order to save her life and takes her to the Underworld. When Ladybug learns of the truth behind her capture, will she also learn to open her heart?

Adrien looked at the offending rose in his hand. He had only wanted to bring a smile to her face. He loved her smile so much, but ever since he had brought her to the Underworld, it was a rare sight. She was always so distant and untrusting. He should have known though that his destructive nature would backfire on any kindness he might want to offer to her.

Instead of a smile, he had caused her pain, the thorns having pierced the soft flesh of her hand. She had recoiled back, fleeing into the house. He cursed his bad luck. After weeks she had just started to open up to him a little, agreeing to take walks with him outside, and he had to go and ruin it all.

He couldn't blame her for being afraid. He was well aware of the stories told about him, but he wasn't the man his father was and he wished that she could see that. Yes, he was the darkness, he was the night, and she was a beacon of light, the embodiment of life and creation to his destruction, but he loved her, oh how he loved her that he would risk everything for her, even if she never loved him in return. Adrien gripped his hand around the stem of the rose, not caring for the pain it caused him, because it was drowned out by the pain in his own heart.

"Cataclysm." He whispered, and the bloom disintegrated into dust in his hand, the ashes blowing away in the wind towards the heavens. Maybe he was just fooling himself that Marinette could ever love him. She wouldn't even say his name, only ever referring to him formally as Chat Noir, and forbidding him from calling her Ladybug. He was unworthy of her godly name, and it only served to reinforce that wall that was between them.

Walking back inside, Adrien saw Marinette in the corner of the great library. She was holding her injured hand to her chest and looking through the books on healing, no doubt looking for a soothing balm.

Adrien considered leaving her to herself, since he had clearly offended her, but he knew she wouldn't find what she really needed in those books. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself to walk across the sparse floor towards her. Marinette felt his presence and turned with a start. Adrien held his hands up to her and slowed his steps.

"It's alright, I just wanted to look at your hand." He held one hand out to her and waited.

Marinette looked at his hand and back up into his emerald eyes. She wanted to be angry at him. He had brought her to this place of the dead against her will, and yet over the last few weeks he had shown her nothing but kindness, attempting many times to engage her in conversation. The Chat Noir before her now, humble and unsure, was not the same as the one she had been taught to loathe and fear and it confused her. No one had ever looked at her the way he did, like he could see into her very soul and the flutter in her chest made her catch her breath.

"Please?" He pleaded softly, moving his hand closer.

Tentatively, she reached out and placed her hand in his. For some reason, she thought his hands would be cold and hard, but they were warm and soft and her heart betrayed her by beating faster. Adrien held her hand in both of his, inspecting the angry red scratch that had marked her skin.

"It's not deep." He said, careful not to touch the mark. "This is my fault. I overheard you telling the servants how you missed seeing the flowers in your garden and I wanted to bring some of that to you. I should have been more careful. I'll send Juleka to your rooms. She is a healer and will have a remedy to fix this."

Marinette watched his face as he looked at her hand and she could see he was genuine in his concern. Slowly he raised her palm up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss there. She could feel herself blushing at the intimacy of the gesture.